Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Raising Children
By
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Topics
Pages
Childrens Initial Education, Training, and Attainment of Moral Values Introduction of the Book...
Necessity and Importance of Permissible (Halal) Food
An Explanation of the Etiquettes of Eating...
An Explanation of the Etiquettes of Dressing
Epidemic of Poetry.
Method of Persuading towards Good and Stopping from Evil......
Harms of Excessive Scolding.....
Etiquettes of Sleeping.........
Prohibition of Arrogance and Pride
Etiquettes of Gatherings and Conversations...
Patience and Forbearance...
Importance and Benefits of Physical Exercises..
Etiquettes of Respecting the Elders
A Good Thought about Food..
Impermanence of the World...
Who is Intelligent?..
Childs Nature and Parents Obligation..
A Historical Evidence of the Best Results of Good Upbringing
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TRANSLATORS NOTE:
The English translator has added all explanations given within square brackets and parenthesis
and assumes all responsibilities for any mistranslations and seeks Allahs forgiveness for that.
All text in Arabic has been transliterated into English and has been italicized. Urdu translation of
this book of Imam Ghazali was done by Sadruddin Hasan Amritsari and published by Dar-ul
Ishaat, Pakistan. Amritsaris Urdu translation was utilized for doing this English translation.
the nature (i.e. Allah) that this child upon attaining puberty, will possess perfect intelligence.
Thats why a child with shyness (Haya/modesty), should never be left free (liberated), but
instead, making use of his/her shyness (Haya) and discernment [between good and bad], a full
training should be given to him/her.
EPIDEMIC OF POETRY
Furthermore, protect the child from romantic poetry and romantic-minded poets and also make
him/her stay away from those writers who think that such poetry is an indication of the life of the
heart and subtlety of perception [or expression], because such things sow the seeds of corruption
(Fasad) and evil in the minds of children.
ETIQUETTES OF SLEEPING
The child should be told not to sleep during the day because it creates laziness but he/she should
not be stopped from sleeping at night. However, the child should still be stopped from sleeping
on a soft bed so that the childs bodily organs will get strong and the body will not get disfigured,
due to which the child will not be able to live without comforts. Instead, the habits of sleeping on
hard beds, wearing non-fine (simple) clothes, eating simple food should be instilled in the child.
The child should be stopped from doing things in a clandestine way because he/she knows that
its bad, thats why the child hides it. If its ignored, then the child will develop the habit of
doing bad things.
Similarly, the habit of walking during the day and exercising should be instilled in the child so
that he/she does not become lethargic and lazy. However, utmost care must be taken to ensure
that the child does not expose his/her head, knees, thighs, etc. Furthermore, the child should not
walk too fast nor should keep his/her hands loose [which is a sign of laziness] but instead, the
child should keep his/her hands close to the body and should be active.
It is also necessary that when the teacher punishes the child then the child should neither scream
nor shout nor seek the support of intercession (interference) of someone, instead, [the child]
should exercise patience and forbearance. In order to make the child understand this, he/she
should be told that to exercise patience is the way (characteristic) of the brave ones and to scream,
shout, and cry are the works of those who lack dignity.
WHO IS INTELLIGENT?
In reality, intelligent is the one who provides the capital of reliance (provision needed for ones
journey to the hereafter) and good deeds from this mortal world for the eternal life of the
hereafter, so that he/she attains a high rank of acceptance before Allah, the Exalted, and the
limitless blessings of the Paradise. If the childs initial upbringing would have been good, then
during adolescence, this discussion will prove to be pleasing to the self (Nafs), effective, get
inscribed on the heart like an [indelible] inscription on the stone, auguring well for the child.
On contrary to that, if the childs mental development had been along the wrong lines, then the
qualities of evil, shamelessness, desire for eating too much, greed for fine dresses, ostentation and
ornamentation, gaudiness, arrogance and pride, would have been born in him/her, and his/her
heart will refuse to accept this fact (i.e. the impermanence of the worldly life and the need to
work for the life hereafter) like the dry wall refuses to accept dry soil (i.e. such teachings will not
stick to the heart of the child). In summary, these are the initial matters that need to be taken care
of to the utmost.
twenty years continuously. Then I toured the world for many years and returned to Tuster. I used
to worship and pray almost all night.
Imam Ahmad (May Allah Shower His Mercy upon him) says:
I never received any evidence that he (i.e. Shaykh Suhail Tusteri [May Allah Shower His Mercy
upon him]) ever used curry [with his bread when he ate].
[Imam Ghazali (May Allah Shower His Mercy upon him) did not mention this tradition so that
we also raise our children like this in terms of the intense spiritual exercises and extraordinary
feats of physical endurance that Shaykh Suhail (May Allah Shower His Mercy upon him)
performed from his early childhood. Imam Ghazalis purpose in mentioning this is to drive home
the point that if proper arrangements are made by parents for the childs proper upbringing, then
the child can reach the pinnacle of human potential, otherwise, such intense spiritual and physical
exercises is not necessary for all Muslims].